The Cage (West 4th St. Courts)

Place Matters Profile

This basketball court, in a park at the corner of West 4th Street and 6th Avenue, in the heart of Greenwich Village, draws basketball lovers from around the city, and even around the world. They come to a court just half regulation size that is literally encaged by a 20-foot high chain-link fence both to play ball and to watch some of the best street basketball in the world, let alone New York City. "The Cage," as the court is known, hosts the West 4th Summer League, the oldest summer-basketball program in New York City.

The Cage is one of New York City’s most popular spots for street basketball. In a city that all but invented basketball as a street sport, this is no minor achievement. The Cage is widely known for generating NBA stars and hosting celebrity pick-up games. In recent years, it has become a backdrop to soda commercials and been covered by ESPN. But the flourish of celebrity involvement has come about as a result of the Cage’s importance and not the other way around.

The Cage’s formal park name is the “West 4th Street Courts.” The Cage and the several parks adjacent to it were acquired by the city in the late 1920s when it widened 6th Avenue to install the IND subway and to fit the West Village’s street pattern into the grid system that prevailed farther uptown. The areas were turned over to the Parks Department in 1934, and the Cage was paved as a playground in 1935.

What makes this place special has little to do with the Parks Department. The majority of what people associate with the Cage has been created by the West 4th Summer League, a volunteer-led organization that has used the Cage as its arena since 1968. Today, under long-time commissioner Kenny Graham, it is the oldest summer-basketball program in New York City. There is a game every day of the week in June, July, and August, with five on Saturdays and Sundays. Over 600 players participate every year in the 24-team men's division, a women's division of six teams, and an eight-team division for boys 15 and under.

While some celebrate West 4th Street as a training ground for those who may eventually make the jump to the pros, it is more important as a place where those who do not can continue their love of the game. The West 4th Street Summer League creates a place where the able players who do not make it to the major leagues form a community, get and maintain respect, and are able to play against others who play at their level. (Plus, it’s fun to watch.) As Wight Martindale Jr., a managing director of the league, remarks, the Summer League "showcases those who cannot escape, who must remain behind and make their community work."

While the Cage is without doubt a place of community, it is not a "local playground." The primary users of the court come from all over the city; very few reside in the West Village. While it remains a constant spectacle to West Village residents, tourists, and those using the West 4th Street subway station, the site has meaning for the geographically dispersed community of basketball players and fans.

The Cage is also a triumph of private initiative. Private, corporate sponsorship from places like The Wiz, McDonald’s, Olde English, Fila, and Nike has provided everything from meals to trophies to financial support for court improvements. On a smaller scale, the West Fourth Street Summer League is not unlike the Central Park Conservancy, a private effort to provide public amenities.

Sources:

Axthelm, Pete. "The City Game: Basketball from the Garden to the Playgrounds." New York: Penguin, 1982.

Although the Cage does not have many features which command the loyal and consistent following of basketball players that it receives, younger players come to the Cage to learn and be mentored by the "old-timers."